My trips this year took in not just Scotland but I also ventured a little further afield to Ireland, France and Indonesia. From mountain to sea and from coast to coast I hiked, biked and camped my way through many adventures. Take a look as I describe some of this year’s standout memories. 1. Cycling around Lismore On cold, frosty morning in January I … Read More Most memorable photos of 2018

Soon after I posted Part 1 of my Snapshots of Bali news filtered through of the devestating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Palu and Sulawesi. The pictures on TV have been utterly heartbreaking. With 2,000 people killed and another 5,000 still missing this disaster is one of the deadliest since the massive Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. I’ve donated to the disaster emergency … Read More Snapshots of Bali – Part 2

Take just two minutes to enjoy this video of the essence of Scotland. Nate paid a recent visit to Scotland from California and got in touch to share the cool video he’s made. It was great to hear that he’d made good use of my blog to find out about places to go while touring the country. How many places can you recognise? … Read More The essence of Scotland

As schools break up for the summer and this glorious spell of warm, sunny weather is continuing, why not make some plans to visit some of Scotland’s fantastic scenic campsites? VisitScotland has been analysing Instagram hashtags, and cross referencing these to some of the most popular family-oriented campsites in Scotland, as voted by TripAdvisor users. Their results highlight twelve most scenic campsites right … Read More Top Scottish campsites for scenic views

Have you ever travelled from Kinbuck to Kinabalu? No, me neither. But I’m going to have a good go (sort of …). At the beginning of the year I committed to simplifying my life and spending my precious free time doing the things I really enjoy, which for me includes walking, cycle touring and camping. By ‘simplifying’ I mean consolidating my hobbies: focusing on … Read More The Kinbuck to Kinabalu Challenge

It’s official: nature is good for you. In fact, according to England’s Chief Medical Officer in 2010: “If a medication existed which had a similar effect to physical activity, it would be regarded as a “wonder drug” or a “miracle cure”’. But nature isn’t just a remedy for a healthy body, it also nurtures a healthy mind. Going to the outdoors boosts our self-esteem, … Read More 5 reasons why walking is good for physical and mental wellbeing

A Happy New Year to you! As I look out of the window this afternoon heavy rain is falling on already waterlogged ground. The fire’s on and instead of being outside I’m spending some time reviewing last year’s outdoor and blogging activities and looking ahead to what might be in store for 2018. 2017 – The ups Looking back at some of my most … Read More Looking back on 2017 and plans for 2018

For many of us, the web and social media are useful tools to fuel our hobbies. Getting outside at the weekend to go walking, cycling or climbing is our main focus, but online channels give us information and inspiration, perhaps to discover a new challenge, research new gear or to follow our favourite adventurer. Sounds harmless enough, doesn’t it? But in the murky world of … Read More Clickbait, fake sites and the outdoor community

When you’re out camping, hiking or kayaking, compromises often have to be made when it comes to meals. Nutritious, tasty food is normally sacrificed for lightweight ‘packet’ meals that are convenient … but bland and merely functional. It’s as if the pleasure that comes with cooking and eating cannot co-exist with enjoying the outdoors. The new range of Firepot healthy expedition meals by Outdoorfood.com makes … Read More Product review: Firepot expedition meals

I’ve been blogging now for a little over four years but I feel I need to welcome a whole new set of people who have just started following my blog from all over the world. So welcome aboard ! A recent post – Above the clouds – was featured as an Editor’s Pick on WordPress Discover this week, “a daily selection of the … Read More Blogging is giving

May I wish you a very Happy New Year ! I hope you had a good break of Christmas and are now looking forward to the next twelve months. In common with a lot of people I like to use this time to plan ahead, setting myself some goals to inspire and motivate me throughout the year. It’s partly about keeping fit but … Read More Adventures planned for 2017

Let’s face it, Christmas TV is rubbish. Stuffed with random repeats and prime-time ‘blockbusters’ we’ve all seen many times the schedules are hardly worth browsing these days. As Springsteen once said: 57 channels (and nothin’) on. But over on Netflix there’s a refreshing range of indie films and documentaries that never make it on to the main channels. So if you find Christmas TV tedious … Read More 10 best outdoor films on Netflix